The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-06-10
SUNDAY OBSERVANCE IN THE ARMY,
Washington Clergymen and Their
Efforts TO Reform the soldier,

Efforts TO Reform the Soldier.
A Washington correspondent, writ
ng to The st. Louis GLOBE Democrat,
rays; The correspondence between
certain clergymen and the government
authorities on the subject of Sunday
observance in the army is now before
The board on the revision Of army reg
nlations. The. representatives of the
Christian societies, in response, to a
letter from the executive mansion to
put their suggestions and views in
writing, filed a lengthy document, which
expresses the hope that the. chief
magistrate would decide for the minis
ters and against those who opposed
them, no matter how exalted their au-
thority.
1t was assumed that the president
would cOncede that the foundation and
protection of the republic were the
0utgrowth Of Christianity, and that the
Christian Sabbath was an integral
part of our national life. II was
claimed that the army, as an organ
lied force OF citizens, should have op-
portunity for religious culture, and the
letter quoted Gen. Sherman as saying
that all military men admit that the
rule of one days rest in seven is not
only wise but holy. But it takes ex-
ceptions to Gen. Sherman's claim that
Sunday morning inspection means
nothing more or less than washing and
dressing the men for their best appear
ance on the Sabbath, and quotes G zen.
o. o. Howard's order for week day
parades instead of Lords day dress
parade as sufficient evidence that
Sherman was wrong, although the
commanding general required How
ard 8 order to be revoked. Gen. Sheri-
dan wrote the following Endorsement
on the letter:
This is subject which has been
discussed at intervals for many years.
My predecessor, Gen. Sherman, made
several reports, and his recommends
tions were uniformly sustained by the
secretary of war. In his correspon-
dence Gen. Sherman fully expressed
my views, as, / believe, do almost all
the others of the army"
Gen. Sheridan then quotes as his
views from a letter written by Gen.
Sherman to Rev. e. H. Cameron, of
New Jersey, on the subject of Sunday
observance in the army.
six days shalt though labor and do
all thou hast to do, but the seventh is
the Lords
Some construe the seventh day to
begin with the setting of the sun on
the sixth day; others at midnight, and
some others on the issue of the sun on
the seventh day, but all agree that one
day in seven shall be secure from work,
but Christ Himself reproved the Jews
for their too literal construction Of the
commandment, which had been in
force thousands of years and He came
on earth as a redeemer and reformer.
He babe them take their ass out of the
ditch. and to gather their corn on the
Sbbath, and many other things which
had been prohibited by their too rigid
and literal construction of their relig-
ious code.
Now, suppose sailors on the ocean
were to refuse to trim their sails on
Sunday, how many ships would reach
their portsF suppose soldiers were 10
refuse to act as guards and sentinels on
the Sabbath, or to clean their arms, or
to march to their battle lines, would
not the wicked prevail over the right
eous.
mol Christ himself held that there
were indispensable duties which we
must perform on the Christian Sabbath
rather than that poor ass might per-
ish. admit that all military men as
sert that the rule of one day rest in
seven is not only wise, but holy, but
like all general rules, must have ex-
ceptions which Prove the rule. Every
Christian mother washes and dresses
her children on a Sunday morning so
as to attend service in their best clothes.
So soldiers are required to wash and
dress in their best for Sunday.
This is ali that sunday morning in
spection means and every officer who
commands garrison in any country
will state that soldiers are much more
moral, much better behaved, and much
more disposed to practice Christian
conduct when so cleaned up and so
dressed than If allowed to lounge about
unclean Sunday morning | assure
you, knowing the fact, that your good
wife has as much Of the Sunday morn
ing inspection of her children as Gen.
Schotield has at West Point Ii your
family comprises ten children, the SER
vice bears about the same relation to
the officers Of its garrison as your wife
does to her children